～At long last, in May 2023, our crowd-funding campaign begins!～ 

https://readyfor.jp/projects/isn-vb-sustainablelibrary

This year, we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary since ISN was established to create learning opportunities within and around our 8 campuses in Nagano prefecture.

Over the past 10 years, we have put an emphasis on the following themes:

“making sure that students can use English without any problems (fluently)”

“bringing world-class learning to local cities & communities”

“creating (nurturing) Internationally minded Japanese people”

As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we have taken this moment to reflect on what ISN will look like in the future.

In 2022 we redefined ISN as a place that fosters English and student agency (ownership). We decided that fund raising would be one way to create a learning environment that students themselves desire. Using this opportunity, students can apply their learned English and experience ownership of the school.

In 2023 ISN will… work on the themes of “Coexistence and Co-creation”.

As a step toward this goal, we have launched a project to remodel the library at our ISN Gojo Campus into a “Sustainable Library”!

「What is the Sustainable Library?」

✅ The library will have a Western book ratio of approximately 50%.

Increasing the number of books from foreign countries will create a uniqueness in the community that public libraries and elementary and junior high schools currently do not have.

✅Inquiry based activities inside and outside of the school/establish learning.

Our library will play a vital role in deepening and passing on the experience, knowledge, and excitement of outdoor play that stimulates the five senses. The space that we will design encourages this.

✅Spreading of information in multiple languages.

✅Providing a training venue for companies.

Encourage students & work with students to create a location for corporate presentations/workshops.

The library is currently used mainly by our ISN elementary and junior high school students, however, after remodeling it into a “Sustainable Library”, our aim is to open it to I.S.N. kindergarten students, their parents, and the broader Gojo community.

Next, we will work to make the library available as a “Sustainable Library” to people in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture and beyond, possibly even the whole of Japan!

～Project Flow～

①January 2023: Preliminary workshop for students, staff, and Value Books to develop the library

②January 2023: “What is Crowdfunding?” Workshop by students, staff, and Value Books Workshop

③ March: Purchase of books, finalization of interior design, and deciding on returns

④ May-June: Library renovation & crowdfunding begins!

⑤ Around summer: Unveiling of Sustainable Library & thanking of supporters

～Crowdfunding Process～

Period: May 15 (Monday), 2023 – June 15 (Thursday), 2023 *tentative

Target amount: 2,000,000 yen

Library renovation begins: Late June

Unveiling of renovated library: Summer

*Please note that all dates are tentative.

—-1. Book Selection-Partner—-

As shown in the photos on this website:

– Select a book to recommend to the children.

– Write your reasons and thoughts on a flip chart/paper and take a picture of it.

– Please send us your picture so that we can post it on our ISN website, blog and social media.

If you would like to participate as a book selection partner, please don’t hesitate to contact our Gojo Campus Office.

Once we have confirmed you as our book partner, we will explain the process in more detail.

—-2. Donations: —-

Donations will be used for:

– Books: To increase the number of books in multiple languages (including minority languages), including English, Japanese and more.

– Space design: to, more than ever, deepen and pass on the experience, knowledge and excitement of indoor and outdoor play that stimulates all the senses.

If you would like to make a donation, please let us know:
① your name, ② your contact information, ③ the amount of your donation, and ④ the approximate timing of your donation in advance to the ISN Gojo Campus Office. We will also inform you of the donation destination (the platform we use to collect donations) after the campaign kicks off on May 15.

If you would like your name to be listed as a supporter on the ISN website, please let us know as well.

—-3. Donation & Book Selection-Partner —-

If you would like to contribute both as a book selection partner and as a supporter, you can! Please refer to the above information for more details.

Here are some of the people who have already agreed to be our book selection partners.

Students and staff members from Turku University

～Sustainable Library Design Team～

We are grateful for Y Architectural Design, Inc. and their support of this renovation project.

Y Architectural Design, Inc. was established on October 1, 2008. In addition to contemporary architectural design and production, Y Architectural Design is also involved in the renovation, rebuilding, relocation, and production of old private houses unique to each region. They also renovate machiya (townhouses) and storehouses as part of their business, and work to preserve the landscape of the city.

Members of Y Architectural Design, Inc.

This design was drafted by Y Architects for ISN’s Sustainable Library.

Of the 2 million yen crowdfunding goal, about half will be used for the renovation of the library.

The design was also created with an eye toward sustainability, including the creation of a space filled with nature and the use of local wood and other materials based on the concept of local production.

The design may change depending on the actual amount we receive during the crowdfunding period.

We sincerely ask for your cooperation in realizing a sustainable Library for ISN and the broader community.

https://readyfor.jp/projects/isn-vb-sustainablelibrary

～For more information on our crowdfunding campaign, please contact:～

Tel:0263-87-8418
E-mail:office@isnadmin
〒399-7401 Gojo6387-1, Matsumoto, Nagano
ISN Gojo campus